Jul 21, 2011 7:23 AM

I just completed the 70.3 Amica half Ironman in Providence RI. At the begining of the run both of my quads locked up on me. From that point on I could only jog 100ft at a time before they would lock up again. I thought I had hydrated enough throughout the race:

300 oz of water/gatoraide during the bike

2 bananas and one power bar on the ride

7 GUs on the ride

Stopped at every aid station to get more fluid on both the bike and run

Was this cramping from lack of electrolyte/sodium? Should I have consumed more? Or could it be a lack of training (doubt it but you never know). Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Larry,sorry to here of your misfortune,it doesn't sound like low electrolytes but total quad failure.I'm assuming during your training you did a lot of bike/run bricks.Did you incorporate leg training?Was the course hillier than you had planned?Tough lesson for sure,I'm a big fan of squats and calf raises and my "wheels" have not fallen off yet,28 triathlons,6marathons 13 halfs and I'm 49,best of luck,Mike

Typically you see quad and medial glute spasm occur just as much on the bike as on the run, and in that case, it is usually due to either tight or adhesed external rotators from upper hip immobility. Usually, that type of immobility is traced to a stuck sacroiliac joint, or a gluteus medius section that needs soft tissue work or trigger therapy.

I suppose it’s possible that your run spasm could have been due to training leading up to the race on the bike, or your bike utilization at the race, in which case you could have your SI joint adjusted and do a ton of foam roller work on the external rotators.

However, if this were more of a nutrition issue, I would certainly be looking into: A) potassium (bear in mind that adrenal exhaustion, overtraining or inadequate recovery will cause increased sodium excretion and potassium retention, which can lead to elecrolyte imbalances and cramping); B) magnesium (over 75% of endurance athletes are deficient, and this could be addressed via use of a topical magnesium rubbed into arms and legs pre training/racing, along with 250-500mg magnesium citrate like Natural Calm before bed each night); C) glycogen depletion (unlikely if you were fueled up, but certainly possible).

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